Rad Dad Kevin Briones Talks The Go-Man and Comics

Years ago I worked at a small agency called OneMethod. This agency was a bit of an incubator for creativity. Not only did we produce great creative work, but each person who was employed there was a creative weirdo. Kevin Briones included. Not only does Kevin have a super cool dream job, he also actively pursues his passion, and that to me is one of the coolest things anyone can do. Kevin has started the Go-Man comic series, as well as many others and tours the country, North America promoting the stories of his superhero. To add to it, Kevin is amazingly funny, and delightfully strange. Below is an interview we recently had.

JTTM: Ok, Kevin, here goes. You are a very kind and funny man, would you say that the Go-Man is funny?

KB: I’d say he can be, when the story calls for it. The character himself tends to avoid emotionally stressful situations with a certain degree of sarcasm to lighten a situation.

JTTM: How did you get into comic book writing/drawing?

KB: I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. Both drawing and writing all through grade school but only really refining my “voice” in creative writing and illustration over the last five years.

JTTM: When we worked together and we’d be the first people at the office, we would TALK IN ALL CAPS, and for those who don’t know what that means, we would yell everything until others showed up. Do you still do this?

KB: I do it every now and then… but it’s only me in a group of people. Most of the time, they don’t get it until I walk away saying “SORRY FOR ALL CAPS MY BAD!”

JTTM: Does the Go-Man talk in all caps?

KB: Haha, he probably would, I just haven’t drawn that yet.

JTTM: Tell me about Alice-One.

KB: Alice-One is actually another story that has loose ties to the Go-Man storyline. It’s about an aspiring superhero who finds out that her biological parents are super-villains… and her adopted parents are the super heroes.

JTTM: What’s your favourite part about touring for Comic Con?

KB: My favourite part is meeting and talking with people who attend the Cons, whether they are aspiring artists, established artists, writers or peers in the industry, celebrities even people who come for the art or just for the Con itself. I love the chance to get to hear everyone’s story, mainly because, I used to be the guy on the “other” side of the table… looking for someone to talk to

JTTM: What is the craziest thing you’ve seen at Comic Con? IE, Batman with a Superman complex. Spiderman kissing Poison Ivy. Or that guy who is the real life Peter Griffin. You know, something like that.

KB: Hmmm, cosplayer-wise, I’d have to say, there’s this one guy who has an unreal impersonation of Ace Ventura. They made a clone of Jim Carrey circa 1994 and made him walk around conventions

JTTM: Who has been your favourite person to meet? Have you met Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen?

KB: I have yet to meet Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, but I did get to meet Kevin Eastman, the guy who created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Being one of my biggest influences in comic book history and all round nerd-dom, I was humbled at how down to earth he was and was honoured to show him what his work has done for me as an individual.

JTTM: X-Men yay or nay?

KB: X-Men, all the way.

JTTM: If I were a comic character, what would my power be?

KB: The Power of Persuasion?

JTTM: Where is the coolest place your comics have taken you to?

KB: So far? New York, we stayed on a BOAT for the whole weekend!

JTTM: Out of all the comic characters in the world who is your favourite?

KB: It’s really hard to narrow it down to one, but I’ll have to say, the Go-Man

JTTM: You are a Rad Dad, and I am a Non-Mom. Tell me about your radness:

KB: When I was a kid, I wanted to draw comic books when I grew up.

And now, as a “grown-up”, both my career and my hobby requires me to create art, whether it be video, illustration, graphics for heroes of all kinds. Super heroes, Sports heroes to real life heroes. And in doing that, I get to give my daughter all the experiences this “life” can afford. From high-fiving Iron Man to hugging the Carlton, the Bear, riding a pirate ship to lunches in the CN Tower and even to meeting Elsa, herself, to name a few. It’s the kind of childhood I’m very fortunate enough to give her.

Being a Rad Dad is all about showing your kids that they can actually be that thing they wanted to be when they were kids.

Following your dreams? Yeah, daddy’s on it. You can do it, too!

JTTM: Now for something new, The Non-Mom vs Rad Dad power round:

Leashes for kids.

Non-Mom: I’m on the fence. I always think kids are going to die, but I also think it’s ridiculous to have a kid on a leash. So torn.

Rad Dad: I am anti-human leash, all the way. Mainly, cause I picture my daughter as “My Drunk Best Friend”. I love her to death and I’ll do anything for her. But occasionally, she WILL go rogue at the drop of a hat. As the “More Aware Friend” of the duo, you gotta be ready for it and be able to head them off at the pass. Otherwise, you’re holding their hair while trying to convince the cabbie that they won’t make a mess in their car. That said. Imagine putting a leash on your Best Friend before you go out, and telling them, I’m just doing this cause you can get a little crazy and I have to know where you are at all times. Later, at the bar, you BOTH look crazy being attached via leash.

Ice cream for breakfast.

Non-Mom: I’m all for it a couple of times a year.

Rad Dad: I can’t say that ice cream HASN’T been a part of breakfast before.

Free Range parenting.

Non-Mom: It’s weird to label “telling your kids to go outside” the same thing that organic chickens are called. I guess they’d be called organic kids?

Non-Mom: you eat what I tell you to eat, and we’re not going to leave the table until you’ve finished.

Rad Dad: There’s tonnes of techniques to get them to eat without giving the ultimatum. Namely, presentation, if it looks good, they’ll eat it. From smaller portions to colourful foods even to making dinner look like a face. Dessert is always a good trump card to hold, too. It’s all about adaptation. I’m all for stressing the communal and health benefits of the activity of eating. But sometimes, even you don’t want to eat.